O.C. Byrd is hard-working, handsome and newly married
to the woman of his prayers. With his sights firmly set on becoming a Gospel
recording artist, his determination is beginning to pay off, earning him a
windstorm of recognition at the local level.

But will both his widespread notoriety and his
marriage be jeopardized through the accidental discovery of his wife’s former
lifestyle?

About
The Author

Dr. Congress is a Best-Selling, Award-Winning
Wordsmith, Literary Advisor, Publisher and creator of C.H.O.C. Lit™ Flavored
Books (Christians Having Ordinary Challenges).
She holds a BA in Human Relations, Masters in Theology, Doctor of Ministry
degree in Christian Counseling and is a Certified Christian Life Coach.

“Okay, let’s hit that once more from the top,”
directed one very perfection-driven recording engineer. Enoch “Z-man” Zimmerman
is, by far, the most on-point dude I know; nothing gets by him—musically speaking—and
if his name is attached to it, so is excellence. If I hadn’t known this about
him beforehand, I would’ve ended this session an hour ago. Old dude is dipping
into my pockets—deep. But, it’s all good. There’s no price tag on quality or
knowing that your creative vision is being birthed and we did cover a lot of
ground in these last two days. However, I was trying to come in under a budget
since I still have to get updated headshots and that, alone, can cost a mint.
Needless to say, the budget needs a budget.

From within the encapsulated sound booth, I quickly
prepare myself for a retake by clearing my throat and rolling my head to work
out neck and shoulder tension. This is the last track we’re recording, also my
favorite, and I can’t risk anything getting in the way of my sound. I’ve
reworked the lyrics and rearranged the music to Will Downing’s All About You
and in a play on words, I decided to use the working title, All About
Him, for my CD. Z-man, who was previously in a zone setting the levels on
the control panel, gives me his ‘look,’ the one that says, any minute now…waiting on you.

Closing my eyes, I ease into the moment by thinking
of the unending blessings God has poured into my life, most recently the love
and devotion of a woman who loves Him as much as I do. I give Z-man a thumbs
up, our non-verbal cue that I’m ready to record. Through my headphones, I hear
the music intro and seconds later, Z-man‘s voice comes through in a word,
“Rolling.”

Swaying side to side, I’m feeling it and without
forethought, I take ownership of the musical moment and sing, “I’m not a
perfect man, I do the best I can…”

Inside of four minutes, Z-man shouts, “Perfect!” and
just like that we’re done. Demo complete, mission accomplished. Talk about
feeling good … man!

Collecting my sheet music from the copy stand, I give
the booth the once-over and scan the small space for other belongings I might
have overlooked. As if handling a Ming vase, I carefully place the headphones
on the overhead hang. Lord knows the last thing I need now is to have Z-man add
something else to my currently swollen studio tab.

“You know, O.C., I believe your voice has gotten much
stronger. Not at all like when I first recorded you a few years back. You’ve
got a more mature sound.”

Beaming with pride, “Man, a lot has gotten stronger and
better with me.” I strike an impressive bodybuilder crab pose, careful not to
flash the shiny new article of jewelry that now resides on the ring finger of
my left land. We both laugh and post up a high-five on it.

“Oh, I know that look. Had it once upon a time
myself,” Z-man reflects. “That’s the look of a man who’s found his better half.
Congrats again, man. I wish you the best.” His voice fades as though he’s been
a casualty of love. And while his wound may still be fresh, he is no love
reject; he’s recovering from the death of his wife earlier this year.

“Thanks, Z,” I respond. Placing a sympathetic hand on
his shoulder which serves as a point of contact as well, I whisper a brief
prayer for his healing. “That means a lot, man.”

“I miss her, O.C.” his voice slightly cracking, “I
miss her a lot.” Z-man’s body slowly slumps in his chair, his eyes misting
despite his best efforts to blink back the tears.

Identifying with his pain in the presence of my own
joy is a real challenge, but I do my best to console him anyway.

“You and Maggie…watching the two of you was…was…well,
inspiring. Y’all were so in sync. I’ve never seen anything like it except for
my Mom and Pops, of course.” Although I did my best to encourage Z-man, Goddess
is the pro at this kind of thing since she deals with death and sorrow every
day for a living.

I watch as a nostalgic smile sweeps across Z-man’s
face. I must’ve said something right. Unfolding his grief-tormented body, he
sits straight up and releases a fraction of his pain through a loud exhale,
“Remember this…if this were your last day on earth, what would you look at more
closely, more intensely? What would you appreciate? What would you want to
savor? What would really be important to you?” He pauses and appears to
be thinking about his next words.